YATARF (Yet Another Tenchi And Ryoko Fic)
by Nido
Summary: Yet Another Tenchi And Ryoko Fic (Yes, I know there are enough Tenchi and Ryoko fics to fill a book, but what can one more hurt?)
1. Default Chapter

Since I live in a backwater of the world called England, I've only seen the Tenchi Muyo

YATARF (Yet Another Tenchi And Ryoko Fic)

Yes, I know there are enough Tenchi and Ryoko fics to fill a book, but what can one more hurt?This is going to be rather long (I hope) and suggestions are always welcome (this is my first fanfic ever, so be kind J).

Since I live in a backwater of the world called England, I've only seen the Tenchi Muyo! OAV and Tenchi Universe, none of the movies or Tenchi in Tokyo.The timeline I have chosen to follow is a combination of the two, i.e. Ryoko was imprisoned in the cave but never combined with zero, the last half of the Tenchi Universe series happened (mainly because of the No need for Ryoko and No need for a conclusion episodes) etc.

Basically, I'll make reference to both timelines, if you don't like it tough.

Setting:It's a few weeks after the end of Tenchi Universe, everyone's come back and life's 'normal' at the Masaki household.

Chapter 1:

Midnight and everyone was in bed, typical thought Ryoko as she lay on her bed (bed wasn't the word for it, it was nothing but a plank of wood with a pillow on it).Why did everyone have to go to bed so early in this house, it wasn't like anyone had anything to do the next morning, with the exception of Sasami and Tenchi of course.Sasami was always up bright and early to fix breakfast for everyone while Tenchi had school.Ahh yes, Tenchi, one of the reasons she gave up her previous lifestyle and decided to settle down on this rock.In all honesty, she was probably better suited to this way of living rather than being on the go, not to mention on the run (even if everyone did go to bed early).For the first time, she had friends, real ones, ones that wouldn't betray her just for a few credits.Here she could relax, let most of her guard down and just enjoy life.Everyday here made those 700 years seem somehow 'worth' it, even if Tenchi hadn't returned her affections… yet.

_'I'll get him soon enough.'_ mumbled Ryoko, but how, just how was she going to get him?That was her main problem, just coming out with it hadn't been working and now she'd promised to win Tenchi's heart fair and square._'Guess kidnapping him is out of the question.'_ she thought to herself as she remembered threatening him when he decided to go and rescue Ayeka.He said he'd like to go on a trip with her and she did promise to take him on a journey when they were stuck in another dimension, but she knew that he would never agree to go with her alone.But that seemed to be the best way to his heart, getting away from everyone else and being in a totally different setting would give her a fresh start with Tenchi.At the moment, the image he had of her was a drunken, coarse, loud and rude space pirate.He had accepted that and treated her as a good friend, but if she was to be anything more to him, she needed to show some of her better characteristics and there was no way that would happen with constant interruptions (read as: Ayeka).

That was the real problem, getting alone with Tenchi for long enough to show more of her good qualities without him seeing it as another ploy to get into his bed.Taking a trip with him seemed the best way, but how could she get him to agree?Just ask him… no, Tenchi would just give her a lame excuse like school, Ayeka or any number of others.If Ayeka asked him, Ryoko knew Tenchi wouldn't refuse, but why?_'That's an easy one, he trusts her'_ she thought to herself _'He trusts her not to throw herself at him as soon as they leave Earth.'_Tenchi wouldn't agree to a long vacation with Ayeka, a week at most and Ryoko couldn't hope for any better.If she was going to ask Tenchi, then she'd have to ask him soon, Tenchi would be on school holiday in a few weeks and he's need a good amount of notice._'What I need to do first is gain his trust and for that I need help.' _Ryoko thought to herself _'And mother dearest might be just the person to talk to.After all, she gets people to agree to be her guinea pigs over and over again, she must be an expert at gaining people's trust.'_

Looking at the wall clock and seeing that it was 12:30 in the morning, Ryoko decided now probably wasn't the best time to talk to Washu, she'd go talk to her in the morning._'You wannna talk to mommy Ryoko?'_ Washu's voice suddenly said in her mind _'You know my door is always open for you Ryoko'_

_'DAMN THIS LINK.'_ Ryoko thought, making sure her mother couldn't hear

_'Did you hear what I was just thinking about?' _Ryoko responded

_'No, I just got the sense you needed to talk to me'_

Ryoko wasn't sure that Washu was telling the truth, but decided that now was as good a time as any to talk to her.

Deciding not to get on Washu's bad side by barging in like she would normally, Ryoko teleported down from the rafters in front of Washu's lab.Ryoko knocked on the ordinary looking cupboard door that led to Washu's enormous lab and was greeted by an all too cheery looking Washu at the window 'Come in'.Ryoko stepped into Washu's private dimension and found her sitting at her holographic laptop as ever.Washu turned to face Ryoko, she'd obviously been up too long today, because there were bags clearly visible under her eyes.

'Do you control your whole lab from that computer?' Ryoko asked.

'Not really, although it's a computer in itself, it's almost always linked to the several mainframe computers that control this lab, so in essence, no I don't control my whole lab from this computer, I use this computer as a terminal to interface with the mainframes that control this lab' Washu responded, losing Ryoko in the process.

'I see' Ryoko lied.

'So tell me little Ryoko, what did you want to see me for?'

'I uhh, well that is, you see…' Ryoko stammered, embarrassed at what she was about to say.

'You want to have a heart to heart talk with your mom, is that it?' Washu said enthusiastically.

_'Oh dear god no, how am I ever going to get out of this without pissing her off enough to still get what I want?'_Thought Ryoko

'So what do you want to talk to mommy about, did you have a bad day? did that mean old Ayeka upset you?Or is it Tenchi?' Washu said in a tone that showed that she was overjoyed.

Seeing no way out of this without hurting Washu's feelings, Ryoko gave up and decided to go along with her.

'Tenchi'

'Thought so.What about him?'

'I need to gain his trust'

'And why is that?'

Ryoko explained her plan to Washu, who listened eagerly, pleased that Ryoko had chosen to come to her.

'I see' Washu said when Ryoko finished speaking.

'Best thing to do is work your way up from some common ground.'

'What do you mean?'

'I've carefully studied your conversations with Tenchi and most of them don't last more than 3 minutes and that's the longer ones.'

'And what does that mean?'

'If you can't talk to him for more than a few minutes, you expect him to agree to be alone with you for more than a week?'

'I guess not, but how do I get around this?'

'Like I said, find some common ground with him.Find out what he's interested in and talk to him about it.If you do, he'll enjoy your company more and will make conversation with you rather than the other way around.'

'Hmm… Sounds good, but is there enough time for this to work _and_ get him to go on that trip with me?His holidays are in only a few weeks.'

'There should be.Go sleep and I'll make up a list of things for you to research in the morning'

'Thanks, you've been a big help.'

Washu looked at Ryoko with sad, watery eyes.

'Thanks mom' Ryoko said, giving Washu a light hug.

'Anything for my daughter said' Washu said and gave Ryoko a big smile.

Ryoko turned to leave, but realised something, turned back and said.

'Wait a minute, I thought you were after Tenchi as well'

'Oh I'm interested in him, and I do find him quite attractive…'

Washu replied, then sighed, her mood suddenly changing and said

'But I don't think I could ever love him like you could Ryoko.You know I lost my husband and child a long time ago and it still tears me up inside.'

A tear appeared in Washu's eye.

'That was one of the reasons I created you, I wanted someone to care for and someone to care for me.'

Tears started running down Washu's face.'Then I lost you as well, except this time it was my own fault and I know I can't make it up to you but Ryoko, I promise I'll try because… because I love you Ryoko.And even though you don't believe it, I am your mother…'

Washu lost all composure, and started weeping into her hands.Ryoko realised that Washu wasn't joking when she talked about being her mother, she really meant it.Ryoko walked over to Washu and put her arm around her.

'You're right, you are my mother, and I've just been too stubborn to admit it.'

Ryoko said, putting her other arm around Washu and giving her a big hug.Washu took her hands away from her tear-stained face and smiled 'Sorry Ryoko, I guess I get emotional when I'm tired.'

'Don't apologise mom, I'm glad we talked, you should get some sleep' Ryoko replied.

'I will, but you should too, my little Ryoko.'

'OK'

Ryoko left the lab and went back to bed, thinking about the conversation she'd just had._'One more thing Ryoko'_ Washu said through their link.

_'What?'_

_'Don't throw yourself at him, tease him or get into any fights with Ayeka.'_

_'But how am I supposed to have any fun?'_

_'Don't worry, you can have your 'fun' later.'_ Washu said ending their telepathic conversation._'You're right as always Washu, I just hope I can do this'_ Ryoko thought as she drifted off to sleep.

So ends chapter 1.Like it or loathe it?Characters out of character?Please give me some feedback, I have no idea what Ryoko should 'research' in chapter 2.If you have any ideas please tell me.


	2. The next day

Disclaimer: I do not own Tenchi Muyo

Disclaimer:I do not own Tenchi Muyo! or Tenchi Universe, they are the property of Pioneer and AIC.All characters are the property of their respective owners. I'm poor, please don't take legal action against me.

Chapter 2:

Morning, sunlight filtered through the windows and shined on Ryoko's face.This was her new signal to get up, she'd been trying it for the past few days, leaving the curtains open so the morning sun could shine on her, and it was working very well so far.Alarm clocks just got broken and people calling her just got ignored._'Time to get up.'_ she thought to herself.Sitting up, she stretched, yawned and teleported down to the couch below.

'Good morning Ryoko' Sasami said walking in from the kitchen.

'Morning Sasami' Ryoko replied, trying to clear the last traces of sleep from her mind.

'Do you mind doing me a favour and help me get everyone up please'

'Sure, I'll get everyone upstairs, you take Washu'

'OK'

Sasami trotted off to Washu's lab and Ryoko teleported upstairs._'First and foremost, Tenchi, maybe he'll give me a morning kiss.'_ She thought to herself, then she remembered her conversation with Washu last night _'Another day maybe'_ she thought, simply knocking on his door.'Tenchi, breakfast is almost ready.' She called 'Time to get up.'

'Alright, I'll be down in a minute' came a tired response._'I wonder if he noticed it was me.'_ she thought to herself as she wandered down the hall to the princesses' room.

'Hey princess, breakfast is almost done, get up.' Ryoko called, knocking on her door.A few moments later Ayeka emerged, prim and proper as always.

'Miss Ryoko, there's no need to shout so loudly, it's very unladylike.'

'Whatever just go downstairs, Sasami's waiting.'

'Very well, I'll see you downstairs shortly.'

Ayeka said as she turned and walked down the stairs.Ryoko headed towards Mihoshi and Kiyone's room (they were staying for the weekend) when Tenchi walked out of his room.Fighting the urge to give him a big hug, she simply said 'Hi Tenchi' Tenchi suddenly realising Ryoko's presence immediately took a defensive stance and brought his arms up to protect his face.He stood there for a while then started edging around her.

'He…he…err…Hi Ryoko.' he said nervously.

'Is something wrong?' Ryoko asked confused.

'No, no… Is breakfast ready?'

'Probably.'

'OK, well, I'll see you down there.'

'Yeah, I'm just going to get Mihoshi and Kiyone.'

Tenchi finally reached the stairs and hurried down them._'What the hell was that all about?'_ Ryoko thought to herself, but decided not to pursue the matter and walked down the hall to get Mihoshi and Kiyone.

5 minutes later and everybody was sitting around eating breakfast.Ryoko noticed a few weird glances from everybody around the table except Washu.

_'You're doing very well little Ryoko.'_ Said Washu through their link.

_'It doesn't feel like it, everybody's looking at me.'_

_'Good, that means they're noticing.'_

_'I don't want everybody to notice, just Tenchi.Speaking of which, he acted like I had some sort of disease this morning.'_ Ryoko said, distress in her 'voice'.

_'That's because he was anticipating what you were going to do.He thought you were going to throw yourself at him.'_

_'I thought he didn't mind…'_

_'Looks like you thought wrong.Imagine how much better your chances with him are now.'_

_'Did you draw up that list?'_ Ryoko said changing the subject.

_'I certainly did, come to my lab after breakfast.'_

'Ryoko!' Sasami practically shouted.

'Huh? Oh Sasami what is it?'

'I said did you want any more rice?'

'Yeah, just a bit thanks.'

'Are you OK Ryoko?' Tenchi asked.

'Yeah I'm fine, why?'

'You seem a bit… distant today.'

_'See, you're getting a positive response already.'_

'I'm fine, just thinking about what I'm going to do today.'

'Oh alright.'

Breakfast finished without incident and the gang split up to do their daily routine.For Sasami and Ayeka that meant washing up, for Mihoshi and Kiyone mainly cleaning, work for Nobouyuki and for Katsuhito, his favourite programme Ways of the Monk.Ryoko slipped unnoticed into Washu's lab to get that list.'I'm over here!' Washu called from behind some giant machine.'Take a seat, I'll be done in a minute.'Ryoko did as she was told and sat on Washu's floating cushion, looking around in wonder at all of Washu's inventions._'I wonder how long it took her to build this place, speaking of time where is she?'_Ryoko thought to herself.She looked back over to the machine Washu was working on and found her standing beside it, watching her with a smile on her face.

'What are you looking at?' Ryoko said, a touch of anger in her voice.

'You look a lot like you did when you were young just then.' Said an adult Washu said warmly, Ryoko blushed slightly.

'How much do you remember before Kagato?'

'You've asked me this before.'

'You never gave me an answer.'

'And you're not going to get one now.'

'Why not.'

'…'

'It's nothing to be ashamed of little Ryoko.'

'Yes, I have some memories.'

'What are they of?'

'Enough questions.' Said Ryoko in a very irritated, almost angry tone.Washu decided not to push any further today.

'Very well, follow me.'

Washu said in a slightly depressed tone, morphing back to her child form.Ryoko followed her to another part of the lab with a huge screen and a console in front of it.Washu sat down on her floating cushion and pulled another one out of a dimensional pocket.

'You can sit on this if you want.'

'I'll stand.'

'You'll be spending quite a bit of time in here from now on, better get used to that cushion.'

'Alright.' Ryoko said sitting on the cushion.Washu typed at her console and a few seconds later a video of Tenchi training with his grandfather started playing.

'Here's a video of Tenchi's training.Today you're going to start training with him, it should give you two a solid foundation to work up from and it'll stop your body sagging' Said Washu, seemingly back to her normal bubbly self.Ryoko just glared at her.

'I've already arranged it with Katsuhito, you start this afternoon, he wants you there at 3:30.'

'But Tenchi's training doesn't start until 4.'

'Guess he wants to go over some things with you.Now look at the video, what do you notice about his defence?'

'Weak below the waist and he doesn't have good balance.'

'I'm impressed, there's more of me in you than I thought.Now take a look at his offence.'

Ryoko watched some more of the video.

'He doesn't charge aggressively enough and he leaves himself open after he does charge.'

'You are keen today.'

'I've been watching him practice since he started, I know how he fights.'

'I see, in that case, let us move on.You've watched him grow up, what do you think his interests are?'

'I only saw what happened near the cave.'

'Well, what do you think his biggest interest is?'

'Training.'

'I think you're right, but what about what his leisure interests?'

'Sport I guess.'

'Yeah, sport's always good.That's why you're going to learn to play Soccer.He watches it more than any other sport on and you're going to ask him to a game on Wednesday.'

'He'll never agree.'

'You're asking us _all_ to that game.'

'Oh… I see.' Ryoko said, slightly disappointed.

'Don't worry, I'm sure some people will say no.'

'How?'

'Just leave that up to me.Now you sit here and watch this for a couple of hours, it'll teach you about Soccer.I'll come and tell you when it's time to go.'

'Thank you.'

'No problem.'

Washu floated off on her cushion, questions ran through her mind _'Was she lying last night? I didn't get anything through our link…Did I just let my emotions blind me? Does she really have any memories?If so, why doesn't she want to talk about them? Nothing really bad happened to her before Kagato… I need to see those memories…'_ She thought as she floated off to finish her latest invention.

Ryoko stared at the screen as it gave a quick introduction to Soccer.The first hour was Washu explaining the rules of the game, then how to kick the ball (where she got quite sidetracked and went into the physics a bit too deeply for Ryoko's liking).Finally, there was the first half of a match between two countries with added commentary from Washu.The timing seemed to be perfect, because just after the first half ended, Washu floated by and told her it was time to go and meet Katsuhito at the training grounds.Ryoko exited the lab and teleported in front of Katsuhito.

'I understand you wish to help train Tenchi.' He said, in his usual voice.

'Yep.' She replied.

'Very well, then I will show you the basics of Juraian fencing.' He said, handing her a bokken.They practiced the basic routines for just over 20 minutes, Katsuhito showing Ryoko the moves that Tenchi's skills were based upon.

'I see time has not dulled your skills Ryoko.'

'Thanks I guess.'

'I want you to wait on that tree for my signal to attack with your bokken.' Said Katsuhito pointing to a tree on his left.

'No teleporting or flying today, he is not accustomed to such skills.'

'You're the boss.' Ryoko said teleporting to a branch with a lot of leaves for cover.

'What's the signal to attack?'

'I will shout out attack of course.' Replied Katsuhito, Ryoko rolled her eyes.A few moments later and Tenchi could be heard making his way through the forest.

'Hey Grandpa.'

'Are you ready to begin training Tenchi?'

'Yeah, by the way, have you seen Ryoko today?' _'He's asking about me, this is working already.'_

'Why do you ask?'

'I haven't seen her since breakfast and even then, she didn't seem to be herself.'

'Are you worried?'

'Yeah, for two reasons, one – she may be in some kind of trouble and two – she may be up to something.'

'Never mind her now, you came here to train didn't you?'

'Yeah.'

'Catch.' Katsuhito said as he threw Tenchi his bokken.

'But where's yours?'

Katsuhito seemed to ignore his question. 'Are you prepared?'

'Yeah but…' Tenchi was cut off by his Grandfather screaming 'ATTACK!'.All of a sudden, he saw a figure charge him from a nearby tree, he instinctively blocked the attack, only then did he notice who the attacker was.

'Ryoko!' he said, shocked.

'Don't talk, just fight.' She replied coldly before she continued her attack on him.It only took a few more seconds for her to win.

'Tenchi, I'm disappointed.' said his Grandfather 'I expected you to last twice as long.'

'Come on, it was a surprise attack.'

'But you said you were ready and that's no excuse, enemies will not always confront you head on.Start again.'

They squared off again and again Ryoko won.They continued sparring for another half an hour, then they decided to take a break, Katsuhito went up to the shrine saying that he wasn't going to teach anymore today and told them to practice for another half an hour.

'You need to work on defending your legs.' Said Ryoko as they sat on the rocks that surrounded the training grounds.

'I think I need to work on everything considering how easily you beat me.'

'You won a few of times.'

'Only because you let me.'

'Don't feel bad, I've got a couple of thousand years more experience.' Ryoko joked.

'So, do you mind me training with you?' Ryoko asked.

'Well, you're a lot less painful than Grandpa, that's for sure' He said happily 'but why did you decide to do this?'

'I need to practice, otherwise I'll go soft here.'

'Is that so?'

'Are you saying you don't believe me?'

'No, I'm just saying there's another reason.'

'Let's continue.' Ryoko said getting up.

'I'm still waiting for an answer.'

'If you beat me, I'll tell you.'

'OK, you're on.' He said, getting to his feet.They started sparring again, but this time it was much more playful with Katsuhito gone, both of them just having fun.They sparred for another half an hour, Ryoko winning time after time.In the last fight, Ryoko swept Tenchi's feet out from under him with her winning blow.She chuckled and extended a hand to help him up.

'Guess I lose.' He said standing up.

'You still wanna know?' She replied.

'Yeah.'

'Truth is, I always wanted to play with you, but you always refused me.' A sad look came over her face.

'That's because I didn't think you were being sincere.Now, I know better.' He said giving her a smile to cheer her up.

'Does that mean that you'll play with me?' She said with a pleading look on her face.

'Yeah, sure.'

'Really?' He nodded.She looked down at her feet.

'Thanks Tenchi, this means a lot to me.'

'Just let me decide when OK?'

'OK.'

'Shall we head back, it's getting close to dinner time.'

'Yeah, we wouldn't want Sasami getting mad.'

They headed back towards the house, talking about the day's training.

Well, that's chapter two, it's really just setting up for later chapters.As always tell me what you think, I appreciate it.


	3. What's on TV tonight?

Chapter 3:

Chapter 3:

'Hey Tenchi, hey Ryoko.Dinner'll be ready in a minute, take a seat.' Sasami said, taking a break from dinner preparations as Tenchi and Ryoko entered the house.

'Thanks Sasami, I'm just going to get changed.'Tenchi replied, heading for the stairs.

'In that case, can you help me set the table Ryoko?'

'Only if you don't tell anyone I helped, wouldn't want to give them the wrong idea about me.' Ryoko said, giving Sasami a wink.Sasami giggled and headed back to the kitchen _'She only helps me when she's in a good mood, she got a hug from Tenchi or something.'_Half way through setting the table, Mihoshi and Kiyone walked in, back from another minor incident near Saturn, Ryoko teleported up to her rafter before they saw her.

'Hey Kiyone, hey Mihoshi.Could you finish setting the table for me, I have to go keep an eye on the rice.'

'No problem Sasami.'Kiyone said enthusiastically._'Kiyone's normally really depressed when she comes back from a mission in space with Mihoshi, guess Ryoko's not the only one who had a good day.'_Sasami thought to herself while stirring the rice.

Soon, the table was set and everyone was enjoying another one of Sasami's meals.Kiyone was talking to Ayeka, Washu and Nobuyuki about the incident in space, praising Mihoshi because she actually managed to do something right.Mihoshi was telling her own version of the story (which sounded suspiciously like the cop show she'd seen last night) to Sasami who listened in awe.Ryoko, Tenchi and Katsuhito were discussing various sword-fighting techniques.

As dinner was drawing to a close, Ryoko heard an all too familiar voice in her head:

_'Little Ryoko, time to go turn on the TV.'_

_'Why?'_

_'Because there's a Soccer match on and I'm sure Tenchi will join you.'_

_'Well, if you're sure.You're normally right.'_

_'I'm always right!After all, I am…'_

_'The greatest scientific genius in the universe.'_Ryoko finished for her.

_'You're learning, now go.'_

Ryoko got up and floated towards the TV.

'Hey Ryoko, where are you going?'Tenchi asked.

Ayeka was about to scold her for leaving the table early, but decided that she'd talk to Tenchi instead, they'd hardly said a word to each other since dinner began.

'There's something on TV I wanna watch.'She replied turning the TV on, then she froze realising what she'd forgotten to ask.

_'Channel 4.'_Came the reply to the question she was about to ask.

Turning to channel 4, she saw that it was the pre-match show that had just started, kick-off wasn't for another 15 minutes.Ryoko sat back on the couch and watched as the presenters discussed the possible tactics of the teams, trying not to think about how she could just leave Tenchi with Ayeka (who were now talking about how well her tree had grown in the unit Washu had provided).

After 10 minutes, dinner was officially over and the crowd started to disperse.Katsuhito called it a day and headed off to the shrine, Kiyone and Mihoshi headed out for their evening patrol (Kiyone praying that Mihoshi's competence would hold out until at least the end of the day), Ayeka decided to go and see how Ryu-oh was doing, following Washu into her lab.Sasami and Nobuyuki cleared the table and headed off to do the washing up.Tenchi declined Ayeka's offer and headed off to see if thee was anything good on TV.

He reached the TV and saw that it was already on _'I forgot that Ryoko was here, maybe I should go to my room…' _He thought to himself_ 'Although, she hasn't tried anything on me today, so maybe I'm safe.I'll take the risk, if she tries anything I can always talk my way out of it.'_

'Hey Ryoko, what're you watching?' He asked walking over to her.

'Just a Soccer match.'She replied not taking her eyes off the TV.

'Really, I love Soccer' He said sitting down next to her 'Who's playing?'

'France and England, it's a world cup qualifier and it's just about to start.'

'I didn't know you liked Soccer.'

'I didn't know either until recently.'

'So how much do you know about it?'

'I get most of the basics, but some of the more complex things I just don't understand.'

'Don't worry, I'll explain anything you don't understand.'

'Thanks.'

The players made their way onto the pitch and the match got underway.Less than a minute had gone and there was already a foul.

'Tenchi, why was that a foul?I thought that you were allowed to push people'

'You're only allowed shoulder barges, you're not allowed to push with your hands.'

'I see.'

The match continued that way for the rest of the first half, Ryoko asking Tenchi the odd question about the rules, talking about the game, who they thought was going to win etc.When half time came and England were Tenchi decided to get some drinks.

'Ryoko I'm going to make some tea, do you want anything to drink?'

'Tea sounds fine.'

'K, I'll be back in a minute.'He said as he walked off towards the kitchen._'Looks like she hasn't tried anything thank god…not even a hug…to be honest, I feel almost disappointed that she hasn't, could I actually miss it?No, that's just stupid, I hated it when she did it… but then, if that's the case, then how come it doesn't seem so bad when I look back on it?I think I've been up too long today, this is just crazy talk.'_He pushed the thought aside as he returned to the couch with the tea.

'Here you go Ryoko.'He said, handing her a cup of tea

'Thanks Tenchi.'She replied, taking a sip.

'What did I miss?'He said sitting next to her and taking a sip of his own.

'Nothing really, they're just talking about the goals.'

'Yeah, half time's always boring.'

'Fortunately, it's almost over.'Ryoko said as the view switched back to the pitch as the players made their way back out.

'Do you think England will be able to come back from being 2-nil down?'Tenchi asked.

'Not by the way they were playing in the first half.'

'I agree with you, after all France are the world cup champions.'

'I didn't know that.If England lose this are they out?'

'No this is the group stage, they can still qualify if they lose.'

'You're going to have to explain this group thing to me tomorrow.'

'Sure, it's not that hard to understand.'Tenchi said as the whistle blew for the second half to start.

The second half turned out to be a lot less interesting than the first and about 10 minutes into it, Ryoko found herself resting her head on Tenchi's shoulder.When she realised what she was doing she was surprised that Tenchi didn't object:

_'That's odd, normally he would at least tense up, but I didn't notice anything.That means he probably hasn't noticed… Or maybe this is really starting to work.'_She thought, smiling to herself.Tenchi had noticed, but he was also smiling to himself:

_'I guess I did miss this after all.No that's not it, I like this because it's a lot subtler, and I don't even think she knows what she's doing.If she'd thrown herself at me, I would have hated it… wouldn't I?'_

Tenchi's thoughts were interrupted as England scored a goal and the fans in the crowd went wild.

'Well that was unexpected.'Ryoko said sitting up and taking more of an interest in the TV.

'Yeah, I wasn't even really watching because it was so boring.'Tenchi replied, also taking more of an interest in the TV.

The match got more interesting and Ryoko and Tenchi watched intently as England desperately tried to equalise.All of England's efforts turned out to be in vain as the final score stayed at 2-1.

'Wow! That game just turned from being dull as hell to interesting in only a couple of minutes.'Said an excited Ryoko.

'Yep, that's one of the reasons I like soccer; you never know what's going to happen.'Replied Tenchi as he got up yawning and stretching.'I think I'm going to call it an early night, you should stay and watch the after match programme, it'll tell you about the groups better than I can.'

'Alright, I'll see you in the morning then.'Said Ryoko, trying not letting disappointment show in her voice.Tenchi didn't seem to notice.

'Goodnight Ryoko.'

'Goodnight Tenchi.'

_'Shame he goes to bed so early, that was really nice, just him and me.Hopefully this'll become a regular event.'_Ryoko thought to herself and turned back to watch the TV.

_'Much as I'd like to keep watching, I'm just too worn out.I need to get my rest for tomorrow.'_Thought Tenchi as he plodded up the stairs to his room.Ryoko continued to watch the TV.

Well, that's chapter 3 done, bit short I know, hopefully the next one will be longer.Sorry for the delay, but exams are coming up and I'll only be able to work on this in my spare time, sorry.


	4. Memories are best forgotten

Chapter 4:

Chapter 4:

_'Somehow, this isn't quite as good without Tenchi here, although it does explain the group thing rather well.'_Ryoko thought to herself as the programme drew to a close.The credits were rolling across the screen when the door to Washu's lab was flung open, hitting the wall with a loud bang.

'Miss Washu, how dare you attempt to take blood samples from me without my permission!' Ayeka yelled, storming out of the door.

'Aww, it was only a teeny weenie sample; good for my research ya know.'Replied Washu in a cheery voice, Ayeka ignored her.

'Oh and princess…' Washu asked more sternly, causing Ayeka to turn and face her.

'Remember, it's _little Washu!_'Ayeka turned and stormed up the stairs, more furious than ever.Ryoko chuckled to herself; it was always fun to see Ayeka being tormented by Washu, since she always won the battle with words alone.Ayeka didn't dare try and use any of her powers on Washu for fear of what might happen.Washu noticed Ryoko and turned to her.

'Ah, just who I was looking for.Now that Ayeka's gone, I need to show you something in the lab.'

'No way, you're not getting any of my blood today.'Ryoko retorted.

'I only took Ayeka's blood to get her out of my lab; she was spending way too long with her tree.I think I'll have to connect that unit straight to her room, what do ya think?'

'Do what you want.'Ryoko replied, obviously not listening.

'Yeah, I think I will.Now come on.'

'Can't we do this later?'

'Whenever you want, just make sure you turn up tonight OK?'Washu said, turning to go back towards her lab.

'Alright.'

_'She'll probably forget, but I'll remind her.I hope this works out.'_Washu thought to herself as she closed the door to her lab _'This delay is for the best, I needed to double check everything anyway.'_

_'I wonder what she wants me for now?Another one of her hair-brained schemes?'_Ryoko thought to herself, making sure the link was cut off.

_'I don't think so; she hasn't tried anything like that for a while now.Come to think of it, she's acting more serious around me; she didn't even push me to call her mom today.Maybe she's up to something. Yeah that's probably it.'_She thought putting her feet up and lying back on the couch._'Normally, she insists when she wants something from me… Something just isn't right here. I'm going to get to the bottom of this.Right after I rest my eyes…'_She thought, drifting off.

'Ryoko?'Washu said, poking her head out from her lab.It had been over two hours since she talked to Ryoko and she was getting tired of waiting.Seeing Ryoko was nowhere to be found she headed to her rafter.

_'I bet she's fallen asleep, how I ever had such a lazy daughter I just don't know.'_

Seeing Ryoko wasn't on her rafter, Washu went to the next most likely place: the couch.Finding that she was indeed sprawled out on the couch, she crouched down next to her and whispered lightly into her ear 'Ryoko, Ryoko, time to get up.' Giving her a gentle tap on the shoulders (she didn't want her in a bad mood).After a few more prods she was awakening.

'I'm up, I'm up.'Said a sleepy Ryoko.

'Did you forget, you were supposed to come and see me.'

'I… uhh… I was just on my way to see you.' She said, giving Washu a grin.

'Yeah right.'

'I just fell asleep.'

'That I can believe.Now come on, let's go.'

Ryoko sat up and stretched 'Oh alright.'With that she stood up and followed Washu into her lab.They walked for a while in silence, through a few portals until Ryoko asked the obvious question: 'Where are we going?'

'We're heading deep into my lab, I have something to show you.Don't worry, we're almost there.'

'If you try and run any more of your experiments on me…'Ryoko trailed off, leaving Washu's imagination to fill in the blanks.

'I assure you…' Washu said, stepping through a portal.When Ryoko emerged from the other side, she was confronted by an adult Washu staring right at her.

'…This is no experiment.'She finished.Ryoko was surprised to say the least; even in the face of danger Washu was still a joker.She was hardly ever serious.

'Here we are, I've been working on this for a while now.I only finished it today; it's fully tested, unlike most of my works.'

Ryoko looked at Washu's invention; it didn't look like much.Two average looking chairs with a cable running between them.But when Washu was involved, they were guaranteed to be anything but average.

'So what is this?'

'First I want you to promise to hear me out, whatever you do, don't try and phase out of here.'

'I don't like the sound of this, I'll hear you out but nothing more.'

'Alright.'Washu said sounding relieved.She took a deep breath and continued 'I know you don't like me to talk about your memories…'Ryoko already decided she'd heard enough and turned to leave.

'Wait!Please Ryoko, you said you'd hear me out.'Ryoko stopped but didn't turn round.

'I want to see what you remember.I want to see what disturbs you.I've built this machine.It allows us to transfer memories across our link.'

'No.'Came a cold reply.

'I won't send you anything, I just want to see.'

'I told you, no.Why do you always bring this up?Can't we just forget about what happen back then?' _'Doesn't she know how much this hurts me?'_

'Ryoko, it won't be anything new to me.I was there when you were young.'

Ryoko sighed 'If I show you, will you drop this permanently?'

'You know I can't make you that promise.'

'Then I won't do it.I can't go through that again.'Ryoko said, getting more frustrated.

'Go through what Ryoko!This is why I want to see.I want to see what kind of trauma you think you want through that makes your childhood so terrible.'

Ryoko spun round and glared at her mother.

_'If what I went through wasn't trauma, then what the hell is?' _Ryoko thought to herself.'You don't remember do you?'Ryoko spat out, filing every word with venom.

'Remember what?'Replied an exasperated Washu.

'Don't act like you don't know.'

'If I know, then show them to me.It won't make any difference will it?'

Ryoko considered this for a minute 'Fine, I'll show you.Maybe then you'll drop this for good.'

With that she strode past Washu and sat in one of the chairs.Washu sat in the chair opposite and took a deep breath, preparing herself to receive a memory.

'Just open your link and play through the events in your mind.The machine will send them to me so I can see them as an observer.'

Washu felt the link opening, getting a wave of anger and for some reason an almost equal wave of anxiety.Ryoko thought back to that day and played through the events in her mind.Both of them fell into a trance.

An image began to form in Washu's mind, seeming to fade in from a dark fog.The first thing that she could make out was a young Ryoko; she seemed to be between 6 and 8 years old.She was sitting.An ordinary looking chair came into view next.All of a sudden, the rest of the 'dark fog' seemed to lift and the scene was complete.Washu recognised the place she was in, it was one of the rooms in her old science academy lab.Washu saw her adult self enter followed by about 5 other professors and 3 undergraduates._'Five thousand years and I haven't changed a bit.'_She thought distractedly as she studied the 'image' of herself _'This shouldn't be the cause of Ryoko's troubles.She was always in my lab.'_The 'image' of Washu started to speak:

'My fellow colleagues and undergraduates.First of all, let me introduce you all to my daughter Ryoko who you may have seen around.'All of them looked at Ryoko, smiled and waved.Ryoko didn't wave back, she just looked at them; Washu couldn't read her expression.

_'Don't worry little Ryoko, I'll erase your memories after this.You won't remember any of this.'_Said the image of Washu through their link.

_'But mom, I… I can't move.Why can't I move?What's going on?' _Came a scared and confused reply.

Washu thought about the situation she was seeing.The pieces started to fall together and a horrible realisation dawned upon her._'This… this… it can't be.She can't remember this…Please let this not be what I think it is.'_

_'I'm sorry.'_Said the image of Washu as she terminated their link, turning back to her colleagues and starting her lecture.

'As I am sure you are all aware, pain is a complex experience consisting of a physiological response to a noxious stimulus followed by an affective (emotional) response to that event.Because it has an affective as well as a sensory component, pain is subjective and difficult to quantify. Although the neuroanatomic basis for pain reception develops in the foetus, individual pain responses are learned in early childhood and are affected by social, cultural, psychological, cognitive, and genetic factors, among others. This accounts for the apparent difference in pain tolerance among people.'Said the image, starting her lecture with a cold, calm tone.Washu felt her heart break.

'As you know, my daughter is the product of my ova and extensive genetic research.As such, I have had complete control over the genetic factors; I do not however know how these genetic factors affect each other, and this is the purpose of this experiment and a short paper I am working on.From my research, I have produced a hypothesis for her tolerance level of acute pain.These can be found on page fourteen of the file I gave to each of you.'The people searched through their papers and found her hypothesis.

'Professor, these levels seem to be awfully high.Are you sure that you haven't overestimated them.'Commented one of the other professors.

'I assure you, if anything they are underestimated.'Was the image's reply.Walking over to one of the consoles, she started typing.

'We will start with acute pain in her legs.'

A button was pressed and Ryoko screamed.

'Mommy…' Ryoko managed to get out in between screams 'Please… stop it…. No!'

The image of Washu was unaffected by the screams and pleas of her suffering daughter, the real Washu was another story.She was doing all she could to keep herself from breaking down.Ryoko was never supposed to remember this; it was all a mistake, a big stupid mistake.'_Ryoko was right, I should have dropped this and never brought it up.How can she even stand being around me?'_

'As you can see, these current levels are well above those experienced in her everyday life.Indeed, they are almost twice those a normal human could withstand.'

Another few minutes and Ryoko's screams died away as she fell unconscious.The silence was as sweet as music to Washu's ears, but she knew that it was not to last.As if one experiment wasn't enough, she had conducted seven of them.The last one was the worst; she stimulated every nerve ending that would cause Ryoko pain.The scene faded back into the dark fog that it came from and Ryoko and Washu awoke from their trances.

Well, that was a bit of a change from how I intended this story to go.The main reason for this is that I saw the OVA special (Here comes Jurai 2), and I thought that Washu was really mean to Ryoko in it, sorry if it doesn't really fit in with the first chapter :(.Just a quick question: do you think that this formatting makes it difficult to read?A lot of fics use a much narrower space and I was wondering which people prefer.


	5. 

Chapter 4:

Disclaimer:I do not own Tenchi Muyo! Tenchi Universe or any of the characters, they belong to Pioneer and AIC.The song Melodies of Life is not mine, it belongs to Squaresoft.

Chapter 5:

Ryoko stood up and walked off towards the portal without saying a word to Washu.Washu on the other hand sat in her chair for a few seconds, stunned, contemplating the events she'd just seen.

'Ryoko wait!'She shouted, Ryoko stopped a few metres short of the portal, but didn't turn to face her mother.A tear made its way down her face despite all of her self-control.

'You weren't supposed to remember that….'Was all Washu could manage to say.

'And you think that makes it better?You still did it to me.'Ryoko replied. She wasn't shouting, but instead her voice was soft and low.

'It was a mistake, a big stupid mistake!' Washu shouted, falling to her knees and weeping into her hands.

'What are you crying for?'Ryoko asked her in a spiteful tone, still not facing her mother.

'I'm crying… because of what I did….' Washu managed in between sobs.'I'm so sorry Ryoko….You weren't supposed to remember.'

'Is that all you can say?'Ryoko raised her voice turning to face her mother, a couple more tears following the first, but she didn't care anymore.'Tell me why.Tell me why you hurt me mom.'

'Because I was stupid.'Washu raised her head from her hands to look at her daughter, her sobs starting to calm down, her eyes pleading with her daughters for understanding.This pushed Ryoko over the edge 'What the hell do you mean because you were stupid!'She shouted back, her tears freely flowing now.

'What do you want me to say?'Was all Washu could manage as her sobs picked up again.

'I want you to say that there was a reason!I want you to tell me that my pain was worth something besides your god damn research!'Ryoko yelled at the top of her lungs, glaring straight into her mother's eyes.Washu couldn't stand her daughter's eyes anymore and just looked at the hard metal floor.

'That's all it was, wasn't it.You put me through all that for nothing but your worthless research.You did all that to me for nothing!'Ryoko fell to her knees and started sobbing too.After a few moments she continued 'Ever since I met you again, I hoped….I hoped and I prayed that you had a good reason.That maybe it was all for something… that maybe it would cure a disease… or save a planet or anything!Then at least I could try and forgive you… just to know you had a reason….But now I know the truth….'She slumped forward and pounded her fist into the cold metal floor, not even denting it.Seeing her daughter like this made Washu cry even more.Knowing she was the cause just added to her own pain.'Ryoko….' She let out in little more than a whisper.

'Shut up!I hate you!'Ryoko got back to her feet, trying to regain her composure.She rose into the air and flew straight up at break neck speed.This sent alarm bells off in Washu's head.

'Ryoko wait!'She shouted in the vain hope that Ryoko would listen.

'Go to hell!' was her reply.Washu gazed in horror as Ryoko flew up… and slammed straight into the shield.Normally this would be nothing to worry about, Ryoko had hit shields in the outer parts of her lab many times.But this deep in the lab the shield was much stronger, not only that but they were only about half a mile from the main shield generator.All this meant that the shield was over a hundred times stronger here than in other parts of her lab.Ryoko's screams filled the lab; instead of falling back down, she was held suspended by the shield's energy.Washu was stunned for a couple of seconds by her daughter's screams before acting as quickly as possible.She called her laptop and shut down the generator as quickly as she could.The sounds of the shield died away but Ryoko's screams continued as she fell towards the ground.She hit the ground with a sickening crash, not even denting the floor, her screams died away as the hit knocked her out.Washu called up a portal to the medical area of her lab and then ran to Ryoko's prone body.She rolled her over onto her back, lifted her up in her arms and carried her through the portal.She set her down on one of the beds and called her computer again as various scanners and instruments appeared from under the bed.Running a few scans, Washu found that Ryoko had minor burns, which would heal within a few minutes, but she also had serious internal injuries.She did her best to heal her daughter, but despite all her equipment Ryoko's chances were only about seventy percent; if she made it through the next couple of hours then she'd be fine by morning, Washu didn't even think about the alternative.

She dimmed the bright white lights to make it feel less like a hospital and walked over to Ryoko, looking at her face.

'Little Ryoko, you look so peaceful when you sleep.'Washu whispered softly as she stroked Ryoko's cheek with the back of her hand, tears starting to fill her eyes.

'It reminds me of when you were young.Did you know that I have a camera above your rafter just so I can watch you sleep?Sometimes I even go up there so I can see you with my own eyes; of course I always make sure you won't wake up.It's the only time I feel like your mother these days, when you look at me I don't see any love in your eyes.'Washu moved from stroking her cheek to her forehead, brushing her bangs out of her face, the tears threatening to escape her eyes.'I always thought that it was your fault, that you refused to accept me.Now I guess I know the reason….It's not you, it never was, it was me.Can I ever ask you to forgive me?No, I can't even forgive myself.'The first tear worked its way out of her eyes and landed on the bed.'Would it help if I told you why I did it little Ryoko?Or would it just push you even further away from me?Probably the latter.It seems that I just can't stop hurting you no matter what my intentions.'

Ryoko let out a low moan, a frown tugged at her face.Washu stopped stroking Ryoko's forehead and took her hand, squeezing it gently.She brought her other hand up to continue stroking.

'Shhh Ryoko, I know it hurts.It'll all be better soon, I promise.'She seemed to relax slightly at this, her muscles loosening and her moans ceasing.An idea occurred to Washu.

'Do you remember when I used to sing to you whenever you had nightmares?I always used to clam you down that way, even in your sleep.It's been a while but I think I can still manage.'She gently sat on the bed and lifted Ryoko's head to cradle it in her arms against her chest.She cleared her throat a couple of times, closed her eyes and began:

'Alone for a while I've been searching through the dark

For traces of the love you left inside my lonely heart

To weave by picking up the pieces that remain

Melodies of life--love's lost refrain

A voice from the past, joining yours and mine

Adding up the layers of harmony

And so it goes, on and on. Melodies of Life, 

To the sky beyond the flying birds--forever and beyond

So far and away, see the bird as it flies by

Gliding through the shadows of the clouds up in the sky

I've laid my memories and dreams upon those wings

Leave them now and see what tomorrow brings

In your dearest memories, do you remember loving me?

Was it fate that brought us close and now leaves me behind?

A voice from the past, joining yours and mine.

Adding up the layers of harmony

And so it goes, on and on

Melodies of life,

To the sky beyond the flying birds--forever and beyond

If I should leave this lonely world behind

Your voice will still remember our melody

Now I know we'll carry on

Melodies of Life

Come circle round and grow deep in our hearts

As long as we remember.'

She opened her eyes and looked down at Ryoko's face cradled in her arms.All visible traces of any pain she was feeling were gone, and Washu could swear that she saw a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.Holding Ryoko in her arms felt so right, it had been so long since she'd been this close to her daughter.So many missed opportunities, so many times she could have comforted her instead of teasing her.All those brief moments of pleasure were nothing compared to this, and all those brief moments came with a lot of guilt later.Then the sad reality of the situation hit her: she would probably never be this close to Ryoko ever again.Their relationship had been patchy at best since they were reunited, but after this Ryoko would walk out of her life for sure.Washu shook her head, she was being selfish, thinking about this when Ryoko was injured.It was this kind of thinking that got her into this mess in the first place.She pushed these thoughts aside and turned her attention back to her daughter.

'I see you liked my song little Ryoko.'She cooed 'I think you're feeling better already.If I knew that singing still worked for you, then I'd do it more often.'She started lightly brushing her hair with her fingers.'I think you're out of the worst of it.I need to look at my computer to be sure, but I'm not leaving you even for a second.'__

Washu sat with Ryoko all night long, she told her about her latest inventions, her current research, all the gossip about the house (that Ryoko probably knew anyway) and anything else she could come up with.Come dawn her voice was hoarse from all the talking.She was drained both physically and emotionally, but it was worth it.For the first time since they'd met again she felt like a real mother, that mere thought of that made her feel warm inside and seemed to somehow reduce her fatigue.

Washu looked down and did her best to stop the tears from flowing.Ryoko would be up soon and this dream would come to an end.For a few moments she just looked at Ryoko in silence, memorising her peaceful face.As if on cue, she started to fidget slightly as she woke up.

Ryoko opened her eyes and saw an unfamiliar sight; the ceiling was about a hundred metres too high, it was metal and had lights at regular intervals.Memories of the night before came back as she realised that only one place she knew could possibly look like this, she turned her head and her suspicions were confirmed.She saw Washu's face, she'd been crying and looked like she might do again at the drop of a hat.She became fully aware of her position as the rest of her body woke up.Washu had her head cradled in her arms like a baby.Immediately she sprang up and jumped off the bed.

'What am I doing here?'She asked harshly, she was obviously angry.

'You hit the shield, you were injured.'Came a soft reply.

Her anger flushed over her face 'Yeah, well I can take care of myself.'She turned to leave.Washu racked her brains for any reason to make her stay, she remembered something and searched through her pockets.

'Wait!'She called.

'What now?'She snapped back, turning back around to find Washu holding out two small pieces of card.

'Tickets for that soccer match, one for you, one for Tenchi.'She forced a weak smile.Ryoko took the tickets in her right hand, examined them casually for a few seconds, then held them up in front of Washu and ripped them in half.Turning back to leave she spoke again, hate dripping from every word 'No thank you.'The response came through their link as well along with a flood of anger just so that there was no misinterpretation.Washu made no more efforts to stop her daughter as she walked out of her lab and out of her life; silent tears ran down her face.She took one last look at the medical area as it was, sighed and called her laptop to reset it.The lights were restored and it looked like a hospital once again.She debated whether or not to turn up for breakfast.

_'Can I face the others?Can I face Ryoko?If I don't turn up, it'll look suspicious… I'll go.'_

Her mind set, she did her best to remove any traces of tears from her face, calling a damp facecloth from a dimensional pocket.She finished, threw the cloth into another pocket and headed towards the exit.When she reached the door, she took a few moments to regain her composure and shrink back down to her child form.This form always seemed to bolster her emotionally and besides, going out there in her adult form would just arouse suspicion.Taking a deep breath, she stepped through the door to start what was bound to be a long day.

Yay, chapter 5 done.The song Washu sung was Melodies of life from Squaresoft's Final Fantasy IX.I chopped out the second verse because I didn't think that it fit well.It's a love song but I think it does okay as a kind of lullaby.The lyrics were taken from www.animelyrics.com. 


	6. What should I do?

Chapter 6:

Chapter 6:

Washu emerged from her lab to find breakfast already being served.Ryoko was here, that at least was a good sign, even though she refused to look at her.Washu made her way to the table and took her usual place.She was greeted with the usual 'Hey Washu.' or 'Good morning Washu.' from everyone (except Ryoko of course).She replied with a simple 'Hi everyone.' none of her usual playful tone in it, she just couldn't bring herself to act normally.The rest of the household noticed that Washu was acting odd, but they knew better than to pry deeper.

Breakfast was awkward to say the least.Ryoko just sat and ate her food, doing her best to not draw attention to herself.Even when Tenchi tried to get her involved in the conversation, she'd just reply with a simple 'yes', 'no' or 'I don't know' and go back to eating.No one even tried to talk to Washu; all she did was stare miserably down at her meal, poking at it occasionally.The most life anyone saw out of her was when she took a quick glance at Ryoko when she wouldn't notice.

Breakfast drew to a close and everyone was relieved to get away.Mihoshi and Kiyone said their goodbyes and left for their apartment, Washu used this time to skulk away into her lab, Nobuyuki headed off to get some work done in his study.Ayeka was planning to go and see Ryu-oh and finish what she was doing yesterday, but after seeing the mood that Washu was in thought better of it and decided to get her chores done early instead.She didn't think that Ryoko would need to be watched as she was obviously sulking and in no mood to talk to anyone.Ryoko headed off, sat on the couch and turned on the TV, not really watching what was on.Tenchi helped Sasami clear the table and do the dishes, but his mind was on Ryoko.

_'What happened between her and Washu?' _He thought to himself while scrubbing a particularly dirty bowl._'I know Ryoko doesn't like to think of her as a mother, but this is just weird.Whatever it is, it's got her so worked up that she won't even talk to me…I'd better do something about this, I'm gonna go talk to her.'_

His mind made up, Tenchi excused himself from the dishes and walked over to the couch.Standing by the side of the couch, he looked at Ryoko and what he saw made him slightly uneasy, she wasn't at all like her normal self.She was just sitting there staring at TV paying no attention to it, lost in thought; she didn't even acknowledge his presence.He tentatively edged round the couch and sat down a couple of feet away from her, trying to think about what to say to her.

'Hi there.'Was all he could manage, stunned, Ryoko turned to see him.

'Oh… Hi Tenchi.'She replied uneasily.

'Are you going to be at training today?'He asked, easing himself into a conversation.She paused for a moment, obviously having forgotten about it.

'…Yeah, I'll be there.'She turned back to the TV.

'Is anything wrong Ryoko?'Obviously there was, but he didn't want to push her.

'No, no there isn't.'

'Ryoko…'

'I'll see you at training Tenchi.'She cut him off quickly before she phased out.

_'Well that went well.I'll try again at training.'_Defeated for the moment, he went back to finish the dishes.

Time seemed to pass painfully slowly for Tenchi; Ryoko was still on his mind.He'd tried to see Washu, but there was no answer when he knocked and the door refused to open.After an hour, he was eager to get up to the training grounds.He hoped that Ryoko was back to her normal self or had at least picked herself up enough to talk to him about whatever had happened.As he made his way up the steps to the shrine, he was so lost in thought that he almost didn't notice the bokken lying on one of the steps.He picked it up and cautiously continued up the steps, readying himself for a surprise attack.His grandfather had pulled this trick on him this several times before; he'd leave a bokken lying about somewhere on the path to the training grounds and then attack without warning some distance ahead.

Tenchi made it all the way to the top of the stairs without incident and his mind once again wandered to Ryoko.As soon as he was at the top of the stairs, an attack came from his left.Out of reflex rather then skill he was able to block the simple attack aimed for his head, but he left himself open to just about any other attack his grandfather could perform, expecting another strike to come and finish him off.None came.He turned to see his grandfather just standing there tapping his bokken lightly against his shoulder with a stern look on his face.

'I gave you ample warning Tenchi, I'm disappointed.'

'I'm sorry grandfather.'He replied solemnly, bowing lightly.

'Come on, Ryoko is waiting for us.'Having said his piece, he turned down the path, walking a few feet ahead of Tenchi.Tenchi tried to mentally scold himself for being so absent minded, but he couldn't help feeling happy, as Ryoko had actually turned up.He hoped that he would have better luck with her this time.

They reached the training grounds to find Ryoko sitting on a rock, legs crossed, swinging them back and forth lightly.She saw them and rose to her feet, Katsuhito threw her his bokken and stepped back, motioning the two to face off.

'Today, we will start with the basic routines.'

Half an hour later and Tenchi hadn't managed to say a word to Ryoko, not even a simple greeting.It wasn't that he didn't try, but his grandfather was training them so hard that there wasn't any time.So far all they had done was the basic routines and keeping a small log up in the air between them while standing on wooden pegs in the ground.Tenchi wasn't doing well at all; he just couldn't keep his concentration up.He kept taking glances at Ryoko's face, trying to find any clue about what was wrong with her.All his attempts met with failure, as her face was an unreadable mask and she kept avoiding looking into his eyes.

'Enough.'Katsuhito said, authority clear in his voice.'It is clear to me that neither of you are concentrating.' He turned his face to Ryoko 'Ryoko, you may leave.'She nodded and phased away.

Tenchi stared at where Ryoko had been 'Grandpa, I need to go and talk to her.'

'Tenchi, I will train you myself for another half an hour, then you may leave.'He walked over and retrieved Ryoko's bokken.

'But Grandfather!'

'Very well, you may leave.But only if you go through me.'

Tenchi sighed; this was close to impossible.His grandfather could still beat him without even trying.He could try to run, but his grandfather was also faster than him.Not being able to come up with anything, Tenchi decided just to charge him; it wouldn't work, but if he was going to be stuck here for another half an hour, he might as well get the most out of it.

Ryoko sat on a wide flat branch of a cherry tree.At night she would sit on the roof when she wanted to think, during the day this would be her place.It was secluded here, just behind the tree line on the far side of the lake.On the roof, someone might spot her during the day and besides, the main reason she went up there was because of the view at night.Most of cherry blossoms had fallen by now and any that remained would fall at the slightest breeze.It meant that the cherry trees were less beautiful, but easier to sit in.She was glad that Katsuhito had let her go, she needed time to think.But think about what, Washu?She'd spent all morning thinking about her and it hadn't gotten her anywhere.Every time she tried to think about her, she froze at that awful memory.

_'How could a mother do that?Was her research so important?Was that the only reason she created me?Am I really nothing more than that?'_She sighed and lay down on her side; the branch was wide enough so that she could just manage.Much as she tried, there was just no way past these questions.

_'Maybe I shouldn't have left, this is getting me nowhere.But I can't face Tenchi, not like this.I'll get through this on my own, I always have.'_Ryoko was tired despite being unconscious for most of the night and after a bit more useless contemplation, she fell into a light sleep.

Tenchi walked back down the steps, heading for home.He nursed a stiff elbow from a fall during his training; he didn't even land a single blow on his grandfather.His grandfather however gave him several hits, reminding him just how far his training had to go.Now that training was over, he had to find Ryoko, but where would she be?More importantly, what was he going to say?Much as he racked his brain, he just couldn't think of anything to say to her.

_'Maybe the direct approach isn't the best.But then how can I approach her?'_

Halfway back to the house and still nothing had occurred to him.He considered various different approaches, but none seemed appropriate.He started thinking about any recent conversations they had and as soon as he reached the edge of the lake, it hit him.He broke into a light jog for the rest of the way.

Entering the house, he found Nobuyuki, Sasami, Ayeka and Katsuhito sitting down, just starting on their lunch.How on earth Katsuhito always managed to beat him back to the house after training still eluded him.

'Oh hey Tenchi, you're just in time for lunch.'His father said.

'Not now, I'm not hungry.'He replied heading for the stairs.

'Oh, but Tenchi….'Sasami moaned.

He stopped and looked at Sasami, giving her a reassuring smile.'Don't worry Sasami, I'll make sure I have a big dinner.'

'Tenchi!Stop being so inconsiderate.'Katsuhito's voice boomed.'Sasami has been gracious enough to prepare this meal for us, the least you can do is eat it.'

'Aw, come on Grandpa, give me a break.'

'He's right you know Tenchi.'His father cut in.'You shouldn't take Sasami's cooking for granted.'

Tenchi sighed, defeated.This day was not going well for him.He walked to the table and sat down to eat.This was infuriating; just when he'd figured out how to possibly get through to Ryoko -something he spent all day thinking about- he was stuck here.

Tenchi began to eat and realised that he was hungrier than he thought.Rather than waste time while he was eating, he thought about where Ryoko could be.

_'She's been gone all day…but where?The roof?No, she only goes there at night.The cave?No, she only goes there when she wants me to find her.That leaves only one place… yeah; she doesn't think I know about that tree.There's a clearing near there as well, it's perfect.'_

Tenchi wolfed down the rest of his meal happily.Once lunch was officially declared over, everyone split up just like after breakfast, Nobuyuki offering to do the dishes while Sasami took a break to go and play with Ryo-Ohki.Tenchi headed up to his room to get what he needed.

Another chapter gone, short I know, but oh well.I'll try and make the next chapter a lot better, but it may not be up for a while due to upcoming A-level exams.As always feedback is greatly appreciated, I hope to get better as time goes on (I haven't written anything creative for over 2 years).


	7. No more interruptions

Chapter 7:

Chapter 7:

Tenchi walked down the stairs after retrieving the necessary items, which were now secured in his backpack.He took a quick detour to the kitchen and thanked his lucky stars that there was no one there.Making his way as quickly as possible, he was half way out the front door when Ayeka spotted and called him from the couch.

'Lord Tenchi.'She said getting up and walking over to him.

'Yes miss Ayeka, what is it?'Tenchi replied frozen in mid step.He fought hard not to become irritated at the constant interruptions.

'Well, I was just wondering if you would like to take a walk with me down to Funaho, since it's such a beautiful day.'

'Ah, jeez, I'd love to Miss Ayeka, but I'm kinda busy at the moment.'He thanked god that it was something he could avoid. The disappointment rushed over Ayeka's face, darkening her features and Tenchi quickly tried to make up for refusing her.It would soften the fact that he'd be spending the rest of the day with Ryoko when she found out and might even avert a potential fight.

'Don't worry, how about if we go after dinner, the view's much better at that time anyway.'

Immediately her face lit up again.

'Of course Lord Tenchi, I would be honoured.'

'Okay, see ya later.'He bounded out the door to make sure that no one else could stop him.

_'I still don't understand how he manages to run so quickly.'_Ayeka thought as she closed the door and walked back in.

Ryoko was sitting up in the cherry tree where she'd been looking around at the scenery for the past ten minutes.Since she woke up from her nap, she'd been trying to distract herself by taking it in, hoping to take her mind off 'things'; she tapped a few flowers and watched the petals drift and spiral down to the ground.She looked at the shadows cast by the trees and they confirmed her suspicion that she had missed lunch; it didn't matter, she wasn't hungry anyway.Having etched the scene into her mind as much as she could without going mad, she turned her attention to the nagging thoughts she was having about Tenchi, doing anything to take her mind off Washu.

_'I was sure that he'd come and look for me… I know I made it obvious that I didn't want him to, but now that he hasn't I feel somehow… disappointed.I guess I kinda enjoyed the attention he was giving me.Or do I really need someone to talk to?'_

_ _

Tenchi spotted her from only a few metres, as the trees were so thick here.She was sitting with her back turned away from him, and seemed not to notice him.Tenchi paused to think about how best to introduce himself; should he be direct and call her from here, or should he sneak up on her?If he tried the first method, she might just teleport away and if he tried the second, she might hate him for it.He spent a few minutes running through various possibilities in his head and decided just to announce his presence when he was a bit closer and act like he didn't know where she was.

Ryoko was startled when she heard Tenchi call her name only a few metres away from her.She turned and spotted him looking around from tree to tree for her.Immediately she was torn between phasing out as fast as possible and staying.A few agonising moments of indecision passed before the urge to stay won and she sat in her tree, continuing to watch him.

Tenchi saw her a few moments later and waved to her.

'Hello there!'He called, walking over to stand by the tree._'She hasn't gone anywhere, good.' _She replied with a simple 'Hey Tenchi.' She was still wary about why he was here and how he had found her, but she never could hide from him for long, he was always able to find her if he wanted to.

Tenchi took his backpack off and rummaged around until he found what he was looking for.Retrieving the item he threw it up to Ryoko yelling 'Catch!'She caught it and looked at the thing; it was a yellow ball about the size of her fist.

Tenchi saw the puzzled look on her face 'It's called a tennis ball.'

'I thought tennis was played with rackets.'She said floating down to land beside him.

'Yeah, but you can use the balls on their own; just to play catch with.'He smiled at her.'Come on, there's a clearing right over there.'He walked a few steps then turned back 'Well?Are you just gonna stand there or are we going to go and play?'

Ryoko stood there in stunned silence for a few moments before a smile crept onto her face.She threw the ball back to Tenchi and ran off after him towards the clearing.

The clearing was large and roughly oval shaped, about a hundred metres in diameter, bounded by trees and covered with grass and the occasional patch of flowers.When Ryoko stepped into it, she saw Tenchi waiting for her a few metres to her left, his backpack on the ground next to him.Seeing her, he threw the tennis ball back and ran forward into the clearing.Ryoko threw the ball high in front of him so that Tenchi had to run hard to catch it.He fumbled with the ball when it hit his outstretched hands, almost bouncing away from him, but he managed to recover and ended up catching it with his left hand.Pointing to a spot near the centre of the clearing, he waited for Ryoko to start to run before throwing it high, just like she had done to him.She intercepted it with perfect timing, effortlessly plucking it out of the air with her right hand; she spun round with her hand stretched out, giving the ball a lot of momentum and threw the it low and hard back to Tenchi.He caught it, cushioning the force of the ball by bringing it into his chest.

They played with the tennis ball for another ten minutes, just running and catching.When Tenchi had enough, he manoeuvred them back over to the edge of the clearing where his backpack was.Catching the ball for the last time, he signalled Ryoko to join him as he bent down to his bag.He heard her phase next to him as he rummaged around for the next item.

'Did you have fun?' He asked smiling, his eyes not leaving the bag.

'Yeah!'She exclaimed.

'Good, because…' he found what he was looking for and brought it out of the backpack '…we're a long way from done.'

Ryoko examined the new object he'd brought out and saw no connection with playing.

'A plate?What are we going to do with that?'

'It's not a plate, it's a Frisbee.You throw them and catch them, just not like a tennis ball.'She looked at the Frisbee for a few moments, then her eyes went wide as she realised that she'd seen it, or at least one like it, before.

'I remember that.'She said concentrating.'You used to play with that with your grandmother.'

Tenchi was surprised by her statement 'Uhh, yeah, I did.But how did you know that?'

'I used to watch you whenever you came near the cave.'

'But you were just a mummy then.'

'So you really don't remember….'

'Remember what?'

'Me.'Ryoko sat down next to Tenchi and looked across the clearing.'Back when you were young, your grandmother used to take walks with you on her back.'

Tenchi vaguely remembered being taken about the forest by his grandmother, it was how he originally learned his way around this place.

'One day she took you up to the cave where I was held.Despite being imprisoned there, I still had some mental freedom and I could sense what was going on nearby.When I sensed the two of you, I projected a rather weak astral form of myself to see who had come to see the demon.That was the first time I saw you; just a small baby.But there was something different about you; you saw me, for the first time in seven hundred years someone saw me!From then on, whenever you came up to the cave with her, you could see me and hear me.You were too young to talk, which was a shame, still….'

Ryoko glanced over at Tenchi who was sitting wide-eyed, trying to take in this new information.She decided that he'd had enough; she didn't want to overload him.

'So if I remember,' she took the Frisbee from him 'you throw them like this….'

Ryoko put more force into throwing the Frisbee than was necessary, a lot more.It soared across the grass, gaining height until it was over the trees on the far side of the clearing, showing no signs of slowing down.

'Oops, better get that.'Giving Tenchi a quick smile, she phased out and appeared a few seconds later in the Frisbee's path, catching it with no effort.She phased out again, this time appearing on the far side of the clearing, Frisbee in hand.

'Well, are you just gonna sit there or are we going to play?'She mocked him just like he had done earlier.Tenchi picked up on her tone and jumped to his feet.

'Just don't throw it so hard this time!'He called back.Ryoko threw the Frisbee again, this time putting the correct amount of power into the throw, her aim however was off and Tenchi had to run hard to catch it, stumbling for a few paces after he did.Regaining his balance he threw it back to her, aiming so that she had to run for it, but not too hard.

The pair played with the Frisbee for a good hour; Ryoko's aim got better as she became more familiar with it, much to Tenchi's relief as all the running he was doing was beginning to wear him out.Deciding to address the dryness in his throat, he signalled Ryoko to stop and walked back over to his backpack, Ryoko phased in behind him.

'So what do we do now?'She asked wondering what he'd pull out next.

'Now, I need a cold drink; I'm boiling after all that running.'He pulled out two large bottles of water; they were cold enough to be covered in condensation.Handing one to Ryoko, he took a large swig from his own bottle, still crouching next to his bag.

_'Wow, he must really be thirsty.'_She thought to herself, taking a small sip from her own bottle.It was an unusually warm day for spring, and he was sweating buckets.An idea sprang into being and a devilish smile spread across her face.

_'He's been pretty fun today, so he should be able to take this.Besides, if memory serves, I never did get him like I said I would.'_Ryoko thought as she recalled a distant memory.

'Hey, Tenchi, what's that over there?'She asked, pointing to direct his attention away from her.

'Where is it?'

'Over near that tree.'Raising the bottle over his head, she formed an energy dagger as quietly as possible.

'Ryoko, there are a lot of trees, which one?'Tenchi glanced from tree to tree searching for whatever it was Ryoko was talking about unaware of what Ryoko was up to.

'No, I don't see anything… I think Yeow!'Tenchi screamed as the water hit him.

Ryoko had sliced the bottom of the bottle off using the dagger, allowing all of the water to spill onto him at once, soaking his upper body.He turned round and saw Ryoko still holding the bottle, struggling in vain to control her laughter.As soon as she saw his face, it was too much for her to take and she fell to the ground clutching her sides.

'Sorry Tenchi…' She managed in between fits 'But you said… you wanted… to cool off!'

'You're gonna get it for that!' He took the top off his water bottle and started for her.Ryoko jumped to her feet and ran with Tenchi chasing after her.

Ten minutes later and Tenchi hadn't managed to even get close to Ryoko.Now she had started taunting him, waiting for him to close in on her and then either phasing away or flying back just before he could get her.He was enjoying himself though; the combination of the warm sun and running was warming him up again.After a few near misses, his bottle was almost empty.Tenchi still had a trick up his sleeve-Ryoko wasn't the only one who could be sneaky.

Exhausting the rest of the bottle in another futile effort, he started back towards backpack, Ryoko taunting him all the way.

'What was that?I'm gonna get it?Well looks like you're all outta water.'

'You just got lucky, that's all.'He mumbled back.

'Don't feel bad, just because you're soaked and I'm not.'

Tenchi gave her a light scowl, one that showed he wasn't really angry with her.Reaching his bag yet again, Ryoko sat next to him as he rummaged around.He took a quick glance at her, making sure she was within his reach.A small smile spread across his face.Using the quick skills acquired in his training, he leaped and tackled Ryoko to the ground, pinning her with his weight, legs on either side of her waist, trapping her arms by her sides.He held a certain object out of her view.

'Tenchi!What the hell-'She started to protest, but Tenchi cut her off

'Ryoko, I said you were gonna get it… and I meant it.'He brought up another bottle of water and waved menacingly it above her.

'Oh no Tenchi, don't even think about it.'

He casually unscrewed the lid and slowly started to tip it, ignoring her.

'You'll be sorry.'She warned him.

In response he tipped the bottle all the way and watched as the water fell… then turned and sped upwards, hitting him in the face.

'What the hell?'Ryoko started laughing, 'Told you so.' he mentally slapped himself; she was using telekinesis.Rather than stop, he chose instead to break her concentration; Ryoko was getting soaked one way or another.All of a sudden he moved his face out of the stream of water and made the weirdest, most surprising face he could, opening his mouth wide, sticking his tongue out and opening his eyes as big as possible, making a goofy sound.It worked a like a charm and broke her concentration, the water fell back under the control of gravity and landed right on her.Now she was too distracted by the water to use telekinesis anymore and Tenchi took advantage of this by thoroughly drenching her.

When the bottle was empty, he jumped up and laughed at the sight before him: Ryoko's hair was flat now, too wet to spike up and her expression was that infamous 'I'll get you!' one.Tenchi realised that now was no time to hang about, as she was about to jump him.

'Err…Tag! You're it!'He shouted as he turned and ran as fast as possible.This time it was Ryoko who chased after Tenchi, who could tell she wasn't really upset, as she wasn't using any of her powers against him.

He managed to avoid her for another few minutes by making sharp turns and a few quick dives, but eventually Ryoko managed to tackle him by making a leap, catching his waist and bringing them down in a pile on the grass.

'Gotcha!'She exclaimed, still holding onto his waist.

'Okay, okay.You got me, now let me up.'

Rather reluctantly she complied and let go of him _'I don't want to, but if I don't he'll run off.I want to make this a weekly event.'_

_'Wow, she actually let go, I'm impressed.That's the closest she's come to hugging me in days.I wish she didn't let go so soon…what on Earth am I thinking?It's just because I'm used to it, it's just because I'm used to it.I don't enjoy those hugs, I do not enjoy her hugs.'_

'So what now?'Ryoko asked him.

'Well I believe that I'm it, so… you'd better run.'

Another half an hour of running and they had both dried off to the point where they were only slightly damp.It was now that Tenchi decided to take a long break to try and recover some energy.Once again they both sat by his backpack and he produced another bottle of water.

'How did you manage to fit so much in there?'Asked a bewildered Ryoko.

'Well, Washu made some improvements to it.'Ryoko's smile faltered as she was reminded of her mother; she'd managed to forget about her and wanted it to stay that way.Tenchi noticed he reaction and chose to confront her about it now rather than put it off any longer, it was the reason he was here after all and he might not get a better opportunity.

'Ryoko,' his voice took on a serious tone 'what happened between you and Washu?'

'N-Nothing Tenchi, nothing happened.'She turned away from him, Tenchi tried a different approach.

'You know, I lost my mother when I was young.'He surprised her with this and she turned back to him.

'Yeah, I know you did.'Her voice carried a sadness that showed she knew how hurt he was by her death.

'I don't remember much about that day besides that, I remember going into her room in the hospital with my uncle, I stayed with him while dad and grandpa were with her.I remember walking into that room and knowing that something had happened.Dad just said that she passed away early in the morning.I hadn't heard those words before, but… somehow I got the meaning of it.I knew that she was gone… gone forever.'

Tenchi looked at Ryoko and could swear he saw tears beginning to form.

'I'm sorry Tenchi.'She said solemnly.'I'm sorry for her kimono, and for not being able to do more for you when she died.'

'Hey Ryoko, it's okay, that's not what I meant.'He put his arm gently around her shoulder.'You were there for me at the cave and that's more than enough.I always felt comforted there and now I know why.'He gave her a small smile.

'Listen; what I'm trying to get at is that… you should talk to Washu and sort something out. I don't want to see you lose your mother as well.'

Ryoko sighed.'But Tenchi, there's a difference between your mother and mine….Your mother loved you, mine doesn't love me.'

'Ryoko that's not true.'He said firmly.'I know she doesn't act like it, but she truly does love you.I know because I've seen how she looks at you.'

Seeing Ryoko's puzzled expression, he decided to elaborate.

'Sometimes, I see her staring at you when you're asleep on the couch.It's never more than a few seconds, but the look on her face is always the same.Other times, when Ayeka says a particularly nasty thing about you, I see her flinch.I know it doesn't seem like much, but considering how well she hides her emotions, it must really affect her.She jokes and jokes about it, but I think that's just to cover herself.I know I'm kinda babbling here, but do you understand what I'm trying to get at?'

Ryoko nodded.

'Just talk to her, whatever happened upset both of you; she kept taking glances at you with sorrow in her eyes at breakfast this morning.'

Ryoko pondered his words for a few moments before she responded.

'I'll think about it, but I'm not promising anything.'

'That's all I ask.Now, should we call it a day?I think dinner'll be ready soon and it might get a bit chilly once the sun goes.'

'Can we do this again?I… really enjoyed myself today.'Ryoko asked sheepishly.

'Yeah, it was fun.How about same time next week?'

'Thanks Tenchi.'She gently leant over and gave him a hug that lasted only a few seconds.They both got up and headed back for dinner.

Scratch one more chapter.I tried to be a bit more descriptive with the play scenes etc, though I don't think it worked out particularly well.There are quite a few references to a particular episode just before Tenchi gets soaked, guess which one (it's not hard).What did you think about Tenchi's mother's death?Since their house was in the city, I always thought she would die in a hospital.

I like reviews and feedback, so have a heart and please post a review.


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